Boosting Western Australia’s apprentice workforce

Thousands of opportunities for apprenticeships or traineeships to be created. Image via. Rimkus

Thousands of new training and apprentice opportunities will be created in Western Australia as it signs on to the Federal Government’s Skilling Australians Fund (SAF) National Partnership Agreement.

Minister for Small and Family Business, Skills and Vocational Education, Senator the Hon Michaelia Cash said the signing of the National Partnership Agreement with the Western Australian Government will build the number of apprentices and trainees to safeguard Western Australia’s future economic prosperity.

The Federal Government’s investment in the partnership is $1.5 billion over four years and Western Australia could receive up to $126.1 million during the agreement (to be matched dollar for dollar by the State Government). The national partnership will also provide funding for thousands of pre-apprenticeships – a career pathway that is strongly supported by industry.

“This investment is expected to create over 20,000 new pre-apprenticeships, apprenticeships and traineeships, and Western Australian employers will gain the skilled workers they need to drive productivity and growth,” Minister Cash said on Friday.

“Signing onto the Skilling Australians Fund demonstrates the Western Australian Government’s commitment to work with the Federal Government to ensure the state grows its vital skills-based industries such as health and community services, mining services, technology, tourism and other sectors that are forecasted to underpin the WA economy in coming decades,” she said.

The McGowan Government said key industries will be consulted throughout the development of the incentive scheme to ensure it meets the sector’s needs and encourages high-quality, on-the-job training.

“This injection of funds will help the State create thousands of new opportunities for apprentices and trainees by providing incentives to employers, making it more attractive for them to commit to training,” she said.

“The partnership with the Federal Government will help ensure we are ahead of the game in skilling Western Australians to take up the jobs of the future, especially as the economy starts to recover and activity picks up.”

The SAF National Partnership Agreement is forecast to create up to 300,000 new apprenticeship and trainee places over four years. It commenced on 1 July 2018 and Western Australia is the sixth state or territory to sign the National Partnership, alongside South Australia, New South Wales, Tasmania, the Australian Capital Territory and the Northern Territory.

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